Just as many parts of the US are experiencing droughts, Lima, Peru, is also facing a water crisis. Swings in water supply are common there, however, as rivers tend to have very little water in the dry season and flood during the wet season. It’s the wet season now, and recent landslides killed nine people and caused tremendous damage just outside the city.
According to this press release, “Climate change is likely to exaggerate these peaks and troughs,” and Lima’s water utility is doing something about it. The utility will invest about 5% of the fees it collects to address water-quality and water supply issues, including a strong focus on green infrastructure and restoration.
One potential project will be reestablishing the amunas, pre-Incan-era structures intended to siphon water from streams high up in the mountains during the wet season, thus reducing flooding. The diverted water is infiltrated into the mountains and emerges in the form of springs months later during the dry season.
Just as many parts of the US are experiencing droughts, Lima, Peru, is also facing a water crisis. Swings in water supply are common there, however, as rivers tend to have very little water in the dry season and flood during the wet season. It’s the wet season now, and recent landslides killed nine people and caused tremendous damage just outside the city.
According to this press release, “Climate change is likely to exaggerate these peaks and troughs,” and Lima’s water utility is doing something about it. The utility will invest about 5% of the fees it collects to address water-quality and water supply issues, including a strong focus on green infrastructure and restoration.
One potential project will be reestablishing the amunas, pre-Incan-era structures intended to siphon water from streams high up in the mountains during the wet season, thus reducing flooding. The diverted water is infiltrated into the mountains and emerges in the form of springs months later during the dry season.
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Lima is one of the largest desert cities in the world—second in size only to Cairo—and the money it plans to invest in green infrastructure and in climate change adaptation generally will be the largest amount spent for such purposes by any Latin American city—about US $23 million. The investment will also include restoring wetlands that have been drained for agriculture and helping farmers manage livestock with rotational grazing and other techniques to restore degraded grasslands.
A detailed outline of the city’s proposal is available online here.
Lima is one of the largest desert cities in the world—second in size only to Cairo—and the money it plans to invest in green infrastructure and in climate change adaptation generally will be the largest amount spent for such purposes by any Latin American city—about US $23 million. The investment will also include restoring wetlands that have been drained for agriculture and helping farmers manage livestock with rotational grazing and other techniques to restore degraded grasslands.
A detailed outline of the city’s proposal is available online here.
Janice Kaspersen
Janice Kaspersen is the former editor of Erosion Control and Stormwater magazines.
